The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-07-27
Some Balloon Stories.
There are no two names better known

There are no two names better known
in the annals of American aeronautics
than those of King and Wise. Professor
Samuel A King is now in his sixtieth
year. Since 1851 he has been practical
aeronaut, making his first ascension in
the summer of that year from the old
Geological Garden, in Fairmount Park.
Since then he has made 2S6 aerial voy.
ages and great many lesser ascensiona.
His wife, who is quiet, modest little
woman, has made number of ascensions
with him and regards ballooning much
safer mode of travelling than carriage
riding. She is afraid of horses, but
doesn't mind taking a jaunt through the
air mile or so above the earth. In one
of her trips she once had narrow escape.
1t was two years ago at Indianapolis.
After a remarkably pleasant ascension
the balloon in descending suddenly sway
ed when near the earth and caught in
dead tree. The sharp branch ripped the
balloon open causing it to collapse, and
landing the basket in which she and her
husband sat in q fork of The tree, sixty
feet from the earth. Asquick as thought
Professor King braced the basket with
rope, until he had cut the balloon away,
then, dropping another rope to some
farm bands, he loosened the basket and
vas lowered over q limb to the earth.
Neither he nor bis wife received a
scratch.
The only time he was ever hurt was in
an ascension from Augusta, Ga. When
he descended the balloon caught on a
dead pine and was torn. He attempted
to descend by the drag rope, when the
balloon collapsed and came down with
a crash, badly bruisipg, but otherwise not
hurting him. Some of bis voyages how.
ever have been exceedingly perilous.
On October IA, 1878, be went up from
Scranton, got caught in windstorm and
came down at Oak Station, Montgomery
county, 140 miles from the starting point,
the whole trip consuming but two hours.
On October Is, 1881, be made his mem
orable ascension from Cbicsga with
Hashagen of the signal Service Bureau.
He was up nineteen hours, and descend
ed in the Wisconsin wilderness, where he
and his comrate lost their way and suffer.
ed terribly before hey again came in
contact with civilization.
One night he was suspended between
sky and earth for l3 hours over the Maine
and Canada wilderness. His experience
that night was thrilling and remarkab BILE.
The ascension was made at p. m. at
Plymouth, N. H., his companion heing
Luther D. Holden, of the Boston Journal.
For six hours they hung over a mile
above the wilderness, the balloon not
losing foot ofgas or the Car an ounce Of
ballast. When they landed next morn.
ing they came down at the head of a new
railroad which was being constructed
25O miles below Quebec, near the Gulf of
ST. Lawrence, over which thay had spent
a portion of the night. The road was
200 miles away from any other road or
civilization. They rode to Quebec on a
blackboard, driven by q French Canadian.
Mr.. Holden always attributed their lucky
descent to an interposition of Divine
Providence.
In an ascension, he made in August,
1875, from Burlington, Iowa, he was
caught in thunder storm, and came
near being struck by lightning. The
expansion of the air acted on the balloon
and drove the gas from the neck on to
his head, aud through the open value
with terrific velocity. He had a thrilling
descent through the clouds, and on reach
ing the earth went crashing through trees,
landing twelve miles from where he as
cended, having been driven back by the
storm. The whole trip consumed three.
quarters of an hour.
On the Fourth of July of the same
year he took party of seven, including
two bridal couples, over Lake Erie from
Cleveland. The balloon sailed over the
lake to Buffalo, where it struck back
current and returned passing Cleveland,
gradually approaching the Canada shore,
which itstruck at Point au Pele. 1t then
crossed q strip of Canada aud 35 miles of
Lake St. Clair, landing II miles from
Port Huron at midnight, having made
$50 miles in 13 hours.
On another Fourth of July he took
FIVE newspaper men from Buffalo to
Quinton, N. J. He crossed the ALE.
ghenies and followed the Susquehanna as
far as Havre de Grace, took sharp turn
and sailed due east across Delaware into
New Jersey, the whole trip taking thir-
teen hours.
Professor Charles Wise, under whose
direction the Independence" will be sent
up, is the son of the late Professor John
Wise, Sr., who was lost while making an
,o.;ol youaoa He made his frat ascen.